New Member

Posts: 2
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-25-2003 08:46 PM         

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My new puppy Jcks was recently diagnosed with Parvo adnI am scared to daeth. he' only 3 months old and I had documenttation that he had received his first two rounds of shots for parvo....how did he get it?!!!

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Member

Posts: 320
From:Allagash, Maine USA
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 09-25-2003 10:15 PM         

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Most dogs have gotten parvo due to shots being started at too young of an age and because they haven't finished shots.. if all three shots aren't taken expecially at correct timing.. it doesn't help much.. Just like Hepatitis shots in a human.. if you haven't had all three, then you aren't protected against it.. Not too exciting but not much you can do about that part.
Angie

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Moderator

Posts: 536
From:
Registered: May 2003

posted 09-26-2003 02:23 AM         

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Dogs can still contact viruses even if they have recieved vaccinations. Part of the vaccine process is that they are given a dose of the virus in order for them to build up their antibodies and therefore become "immune". There could be many reasons why your dog got parvo including: if dog is given a vaccine when s/he is not in perfect health (ie stressed, had an infection, illness, pregnancy, etc) then their immunity to start could have been down, allowing the dog to become more susceptible to the virus. Vaccine reactions are quite common. Even could have been a bad batch of vaccines.

To the_main_pitbull You can't say if a dog hasn't had all 3 sets of shots that they aren't protected. This is simply not true. I have vaccinated pups with only two rounds and later Titer tested them. The results showed the pups all had more than adequate levels of immunity. Including the last one I kept in my litter who had 2 puppy shots and nothing since (now over 1 year old) and here Titer showed she had protection against the viruses we tested for.

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Posts: 1392
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-26-2003 06:34 AM         

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The reason puppies and kittens get a series of shots rather than just one is because the time varies when the immunities granted by the mother are gone. They start declining between something like 8-16 weeks. So they give the first set of shots when the mother's immunities may no longer be protecting the pup. However, it is possible that if the mother's antibodies are still present, they will kill the vaccine and it won't do any good (the puppy's own immune system needs to respond in order for the vaccination to work).

So, they keep giving shots every three weeks until 16 weeks of age so that during that time, either the mom's antibodies or the vaccine will be protecting the pup. At 16 weeks, the final shots are given - by then the mom's antibodies should be all gone and the vaccination will work as intended and the pup will be fine with yearly boosters from then on.

That being said, there can be reactions to some vaccinations. Some pups can be perfectly well protected after just 2 shots, and others not. Because they don't know for sure, they just vaccinate all pups 3-4 times.

Jamiya

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